Saturday, July 128th, 2007; Washington Square Park
Written by: Maren Robinson

Those rare times when I have unfettered access to cable television I like to find CSPAN2 and watch coverage of the British parliament. I enjoy the unveiled insults between MPs, and I delight especially in watching the Prime Minister respond to unscreened questions that range from sheep ranching, to nuclear power, to congested motorways. The Bughouse Square Debates, held Saturday at the Newberry Library, offered that same variety of subject matter and (relatively) good-natured heckling.

The event opened on the steps of the venerable Newberry, with music from the Black Bear Combo Marching Band (think New Orleans brass band meets Klezmer meets Tom Waits’ instrumentals). This was followed by an appropriately grand reading of Walt Whitman’s “I Sing the Body Electric” by three area high school winners of the Poetry Foundation’s National Poetry Recitation Contest.

Jorge Múica, immigrant’s rights activist, and organizer of the 2006 and 2007 Chicago immigration rallies was awarded the John Peter Altgeld Award. The award is named for the Illinois governor who ruined his political career by pardoning men convicted of inciting the Haymarket Riot. Múica accepted the award in the name of those who don’t have a name because they lose their identity when they come to the United States.

The soapbox sessions began with different speakers at three separate locations speaking on matters as diverse as free public transportation, to the benefits of neighborhood sex shops, to food from farm to table and, fittingly, free speech. Attendees were free to wander between soapbox speeches and heckle at will. Indeed, some appeared to come just for the heckling. There was an awkward moment listening to surrealist Gale Ahrens discuss the a future society without bosses and alarm clocks that was interrupted by an equally loud debate by several homeless men who were quietly ejected from the park by police officers for testing the limits of their right to assembly and free speech.

What the soapbox speakers lacked in polish they made up for in sincerity, which is a refreshing change from the current model of political debates where all candidates wait for the ideal moment to drop a carefully preplanned sound bite. The winner of the Dil Pickle award for the soapbox debates, who, indeed, was presented three foot-long pickle effigy, was Edwin Yohnka who spoke on the importance of free speech and kept his cool when one heckler joined him on stage for some loud opposition accompanied by much gesticulation.

This year the usual Bughouse festivities were being filmed by a crew from the Discovery channel who was shooting a new series called “Wright Across America”, with Ian Wright, a Brit, former footballer, and former “Globe Trekker” correspondent. Wright took the soapbox himself and, with tongue firmly in cheek, remarked on loudness of Americans and suggested we could benefit from the British method of conflict resolution: silence, a stiff upper lip, hiding under a duvet, and drinking tea, ending with, “Thank you very much, now clear out.”

The day ended with a voter slam debate on immigration reform. Each speaker had ninety seconds to voice an opinion and move from the platform. The hosting ministrations of Second City members, who offered gentle mockery of each speaker, diffused any tension that might have developed between participants.

For a day of Chicago free speech I highly recommend first fortifying oneself with a breakfast of brie stuffed French toast and coffee at The Third Coast on the corner of Dearborn and Goethe. Now if I can get on my soapbox a minute about how Chicagoans pronounce that street name.…

Maren Robinson is a reader, writer, dramaturg, and avid bookshelf voyeur. You can check out the 1,176 books (entered to date) from her bookshelves at www.librarything.com/catalog/Marensr.

I love Danielle Scruggs, the woman who’s been photographing events for us. I love her work so much I asked her to write a little something about herself for the site. I present to you Danielle Scruggs, in her own words:

Hometown: Chicago proper (Edgewater/Rogers Park to be exact )

Age: 22

Education: Howard University (’06), Maryland Institute College of Art (start fall 2007)

Other facts: Avid bookworm, photography enthusiast, studied journalism and photography in college. If you don’t see me with a camera in my hand, you’ll likely see me with a book. I’m available to shoot for people until I leave for Charm City next month. And I’ll be shuttling back and forth a lot between Chicago & Baltimore.

What led me to Literago: Loved the website after reading a profile about the creators in the Chicago Reader’s Spring Book Issue and, being a nerd for books, wanted to support a site devoted to literary happenings in Chicago. (EDITOR’S NOTE: And we want to support her, so you should ask her to shoot your events)

Jess Ferris and Elisa Camahort were very nice to invite me to talk about reviewing stuff at this year’s BlogHer conference. It was exceptionally cool to be on a panel with Barb Dywad, Claire Zulkey, and Maria Niles, smart ladies all. I will admit that I had no idea how huge blogging is. No, I’m not kidding. It took a conference hall filled with women and an audience of forty people to clue me in to the fact that blogging is an insanely popular activity. I also learned that women bloggers are a desirable marketing demographic, as evidenced by the scads of giveaways I lugged home (anyone who wants my towel that says “Get Sweaty” or my box of Curves cereal should e-mail me). There could be something to these internets after all.

Date: Saturday, July 28, 2007
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Peter Jones Gallery (1806 W. Cuyler, 2nd Floor, Near Irving Park & Ravenswood)
Participants: Sarah Coffey, Kim Foote, K. Francis, Felix Jung, Deana McDonald, Ingrid Rojas, Dan Rybicky

We were so pleased when the Guild Complex asked us to help curate this monthly event with Toni Asante Lightfoot! Here’s their official explanation of what’s going down:

BYOP is a literary open house, a poetic pot luck. We invite readers and writers to leave their neighborhoods in every sense — zip code, genre and resume — to meet other creative types from the next ward, inside/outside the academy, and beyond the city limits. Each evening features a reading curated by two literary neighbors with the aim of tearing down those proverbial fences. You b.y.o.b., b.y.o.s. (snacks), and b.y.o.p. (And this month, you might want to bring your own shorts too).

We love our readers so much, we know you’ll love them too. Come out and say hi! Do come early, since the last one filled to capacity. See you there!

Date: Saturday, July 28, 2007
Time: 12:00-4:00 p.m.
Location: Washington Square Park, 901 North Clark St, Free admission
Participants: Erwin Lutzer, “Jesus in the Spin Zone: Why the Early Church Got It Right;” Keith Bolin, “Green Fuels/Family Farms;” Ed Yohnka, (ACLU), “The Importance of Free Speech;” KittenINFINITE, “Legalize Prostitution.”

The Bughouse Square Debates are Newberry’s homage to the spontaneous rantings that used to happen in Washington Park, across from the library. The festival includes: music by Black Bear Combo, poetry recitations by Poetry Out Loud high school contestants, the presentation of the John Peter Altgeld Award for courageous free speech to Jorge Mújica, and the famous soapbox debates. The speakers will stand on actual soapboxes while delivering their diatribes, and a plastic dill pickle will be presented to the “winners.” Heckling is strongly encouraged.

Friday, July 20, 2007, Printers’ Ball; Zhou B. Art Center (1029 West 35th Street, Chicago).

Yes folks, last Friday’s much lauded and highly-anticipated Printers’ Ball got raided by the cops and busted up after only about 2 1/2 hours. Chicagoist and the Reader both covered the bust-up, and THE2NDHAND posted a story about it.

The issue, apparently, was that the Zhou B. Art Center lacked some of the permits and licenses to hold event of this size. Per the Reader’s article, the “venue lacked a special-event license and adequate exit signs and routes for the upper floors.” My former employer and host of this event, the Poetry Foundation, was not at fault on this issue: their understanding was that all licenses and permits were squared away. It’s too bad that all their efforts for the Ball only came halfway to fruition.

There’s a theory (maybe a conspiracy one) going around that the city used this event as an “example” of sorts, since a hearing was held two days before the event to discuss (per Time Out Chicago) “Chapter 4-157, an ordinance that would require club and event promoters to be licensed every two years. We’ve examined the document, and frankly, we’re frightened by the barriers it introduces to the party-promoting business. It would require a license applicant to carry $1 million in liability insurance, be fingerprinted, undergo background checks and pay a fee. In short, it sounds potentially devastating to small venues and events.” The Chicago Reader also posted about this, noting, “RECENTLY THE DALEY administration proposed an ordinance that would require independent event promoters to get licenses, and the definition of “event” was broad: the rules covered everything from boxing matches to circuses.” The ordinance isn’t set in stone yet, but will likely happen, sez the Reader, “Expect to see a new version hit the table in the next few months — I’m sure it’ll only target promoters who don’t have the pull to get a closed-door meeting at City Hall.”

Literago doesn’t speak legalese, so if anyone cares to weigh in on this and give an interpretation, we’d welcome it.

Ah, well, the first 3 hours of Printers’ Ball were a blast, and I know for a fact that thousands of copies of publications were snatched up by the 400+ partygoers almost immediately. Here are some Flickr photos, by the way. Success was had–it just should’ve gone on longer…

Date/Time:Thursday, July 26, 2007, from 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM; Friday, July 27, 2007, from 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM; Saturday, July 28, 2007, from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM; Sunday, July 29, 2007, from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Location: The Newberry Library (60 West Walton)

The first time I attended the Newberry Library Book Fair, I was fresh out of college and on an extremely awkward date with a very cute emo boy who went in search of Bukowski while I gaped at the number of books that surrounded us. Point being, come not just for the scads of cheap books, but also for the potential human drama! Also, come for my best friend, Newberry fundraiser Rebekah Holmes, who hopes to see some “youngins” when she mans the cash register.

Date: Wednesday, July 25th, 2007
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Stop Smiling Storefront; 1371 N. Milwaukee Ave. FREE but rsvp to rsvp@stopsmilingonline.com
Participants: Emily White

Join the Stop Smiling crew this eve for a reading by journalist Emily White, wrote a book about the 1990s celebrity financial advisor and “Scammer to the Stars” Dana Giacchetto. She was also friends with him. And lost money because of him. In You Will Make Money In Your Sleep, White probes his misdoings and personality, and the fact that she knew him (a visit to him in jail prompted this book), “lends the narrative an unexpected emotional urgency as White struggles with her diffidence and complicity in Giacchetto’s impossible promises of effortless wealth.” So sez Kirkus reviews. By the by, White is also the author of Fast Girls: Teenage Tribes and the Myth of the Slut.

Date: Tuesday, July 24th, 2007
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Hopleaf
Participants: Amy Fusselman, Michele Morano, Michael McColly

Amy Fusselman is best known for her McSweeney’s release, The Pharmacist’s Mate. For information about the other authors (of whom we’re admittedly unfamiliar), visit Bookslut.

Date: Friday, July 20th, 2007
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Zhou B. Art Center (1029 West 35th Street, Chicago)

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At long last, it’s the Printers’ Ball! Magazines! Buttons! Writers! Hot dogs! Bands! DJs! Booze! Tote bags! Their gorgeous website does a far better job explaining this event than we ever could, but do keep your eyes on our Bulletins section for special updates exclusive to our site.